Blog Archives
Florida Armenians Endorsed Candidates Win Big on Election Day
BOCA RATON, FL – Florida Armenians is pleased to announce that our endorsed candidates from the 2021 election cycle won their elections.
In the City of Miami Beach, Commissioner Mark Samuelian won his re-election without opposition. Samuelian is the only Armenian American elected government official in the State of Florida and was the first Armenian to win an election in Miami-Dade County when he was elected to the City Commission in 2019 with Florida Armenians endorsement. In 2020, the City of Miami beach passed a resolution introduced by Commissioner Samuelian officially recognizing the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
Florida Armenians endorsed Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber in 2021, as we did in 2019, and he won his contested election with 62% of the vote, securing a third, two-year term.
2022 Special & Municipal Elections
Following the death of Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL) on April 6, 2021, a special election to fill the vacant Florida Congressional District 20 seat was held on January 11, 2022. Hastings was a founding member of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, a group of Members of Congress interested in Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority dictatorship neighboring the Republic of Armenia in the South Caucasus that has enlisted Afghan and Syrian/ISIS terrorist mercenaries to kill Christian Armenians in wars it launched against Armenia in 1994 and 2020, respectively. Hastings, who broke with his party’s leadership in siding with the genocidal Azerbaijani and Turkish regimes, repeatedly opposed U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, despite Armenian Americans’ deep relationships with African Americans and relatable struggles as a minority community often subject to similar discrimination and prejudice.
The deep blue FL-20 Congressional seat saw eleven Democrats run to replace Hastings in the Democrat primary election held on November 2, 2021. Broward County lawyer and health care executive Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick defeated the Hastings-endorsed candidate, Broward County Commissioner Dale Holeness, by five votes.
Florida Armenians did not offer an endorsement in the FL-20 special election, but looks forward to working with Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), the first Haitian American Representative from Florida, in the months and years ahead.
The FL-20 Congressional district seat vacancy set off a domino effect as many local elected officials vied for the open seat. Florida is one of five states with a “resign-to-run” law, which prohibits a current office holder from running for a different seat without first resigning the seat they hold, should the terms of the current office held overlap with the office sought.
In addition to Commissioner Holeness, Florida State Reps. Omari Hardy (D-FL-88) and Bobby DuBose (D-FL-94) resigned their West Palm Beach-based and Ft. Lauderdale-based State House seats, respectively, in order to run for Congress in the vacant FL-20. Florida State Senator Perry Thurston (D-FL-33) also resigned his northwest Ft. Lauderdale-based State Senate seat in order to seek the vacant FL-20 Congressional seat.
A special election for the FL-33 State Senate, FL-88 and FL-94 State House seats has been scheduled take place on March 8, 2022, which is when Palm Beach County & Broward County will hold municipal elections.
Florida Armenians will release our slate of endorsed 2022 South Florida special election and municipal candidates in the coming days as early voting begins in Palm Beach County on February 12th.
For more information about municipal elections in South Florida please visit the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections website and Broward County Supervisor of Elections website.
Nineteen (19) Palm Beach County municipalities will hold elections on March 8, 2022, they are: Boynton Beach, Greenacres, Haverhill, Highland Beach, Juno Beach, Jupiter, Jupiter Inlet Colony, Lake Clarke Shores, Lake Park, Lake Worth Beach, Lantana, Loxahatchee Groves, North Palm Beach, Pahokee, Riviera Beach, Royal Palm Beach, South Palm Beach, Wellington, and West Palm Beach.
Six (6) Broward County municipalities will hold elections on March 8, 2022, there are: Hillsboro Beach, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Lazy Lake, Lighthouse Point, Pembroke Pines, and Sea Ranch Lakes.
Municipal elections in Florida are non-partisan.
Florida Elected Officials Respond to White House Affirmation of the Armenian Genocide
WEST PALM BEACH, FL – Earlier today, President Joe Biden became the first U.S. President to properly recognize the World War I era mass killings of Armenians and other Christians by the Ottoman Turkish Empire as genocide.
“Today is #ArmenianGenocide Remembrance Day, commemorating the 1.5 million Armenians who were massacred in 1915 by the Ottomans, & today @POTUS has made history by becoming the first President to recognize it. This is a major step toward Armenians getting the justice they deserve,” Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D-FL) said on Twitter. Earlier this week, Frankel was one of three Florida Representatives to sign a letter to President Biden urging him to recognize the Armenian Genocide on April 24th.
“It has been more than 100 years since the atrocities committed against innocent Armenians and other ethnic and religious minorities at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire’s genocidal campaign from 1915-1923 killed 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children, as well as Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Syriacs, through a series of executions and death marches,” said Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), who serves as Co-Chairman of the Congressional Armenian Caucus. “I whole-heartedly welcome today’s historic announcement from President Biden formally recognizing the Armenian Genocide. I have been a major supporter of recognizing the Ottoman Empire’s atrocious acts as genocide, co-authoring the Armenian Genocide recognition resolution passed by the House of Representatives two years ago. We must acknowledge the atrocities of the past so that we might hopefully prevent them in the future. Our darkest moments as a human race have come during times when those who knew better stood silently, making excuses for passivity and allowing injustice and persecution to reign. Today at 2:30 p.m. I spoke with Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia George Kent who confirmed the Administration’s announcement today acknowledging the pain of history to ensure future atrocities do not happen,” Bilirakis said on Saturday.
Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL), an active member of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, issued a statement on Twitter, saying “I commend @POTUS Biden for officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Yet over a century later some still minimize the Ottoman Empire’s systematic execution of Armenians. We must honor the victims & survivors, & we must keep its memory alive to prevent history from repeating.”
“President Joe Biden’s deceptively simple action goes beyond what any previous American president has ever been willing to do. The evidence, however, is clear the Turks engaged in a years-long ethnic cleansing campaign that included forced death marches and mass starvation. Recognizing this fact will, hopefully, bring an element of closure to this chapter of history for families impacted by these atrocities,” Palm Beach County Commissioner Robert Weinroth (D-FL) told FLArmenians.com.
Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer told FLArmenians.com, “The White House’s recognition today of the Armenian Genocide is an important step to honor the memory of the many who were killed. To prevent future tragedies, we must never forget those that occurred,” Mayor Singer said. Boca Raton, FL is the second largest city in Palm Beach County and is home to St. David Armenian Church, the first Armenian Church built in Florida and consecrated in 1989.
Responding to the news, Mark Samuelian, Miami Beach City Commissioner told FLArmenians.com, “Having recently visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, President Biden’s historic announcement today delivers profound meaning.” Elected in 2017, Samuelian is the first Armenian American elected official in Miami-Dade County, FL.
*This post was updated on Thursday, April 29, 2021 to reflect the new statements. FLArmenians.com will continue to update this post with new statements from Florida elected officials.
FLArmenians 2020 Election Endorsements
FLArmenians.com is pleased to announce our 2020 election endorsements in Florida.
PRESIDENT:
- Joe Biden & Kamala Harris (D)
Whether viewing the President’s record and tenure in office solely through an American or Armenian American lens, one would arrive at the same conclusion: he does not deserve reelection. From an Armenian American standpoint, Donald Trump never promised to recognize the Armenian Genocide so when he used practically the same exact language as President Obama in his annual April 24th statement there was little expectation that Trump would be any different than Obama.
However, what is most troubling to Armenian Americans at this point in time is how the Trump Administration broke over two decades of precedent when he increased military aid to Azerbaijan over that of Armenia. For nearly 20 years, the Armenian American community has been successful in ensuring that Congress, and to some extent the President, maintain parity when it comes to U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan and Armenia. However, the Trump Administration has “substantially ramped up security assistance to Azerbaijan, amounting to more than $100 million in fiscal years (FY) 2018-19,” according to an analysis by Emil Sanamyan of University of Southern California. “By comparison U.S. security aid to Azerbaijan in FY 2016-17 did not exceed $3 million a year,” he writes.
So far President Trump has resisted efforts to sanction Azerbaijan and withhold U.S. military aid to that country.
Joe Biden, on the other hand, has a substantial record of pro-Armenian positions from his early days to today. First and foremost, students of history will recall that in 1989, Joe Biden, as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, brought forward S. J. Res. 212, the Armenian Genocide resolution. Biden, as Chairman and as an original cosponsor of the bill, brought the bill forward and held a successful markup, sending the bill to the Senate floor for a vote. What is significant here is that Senator Biden was under tremendous pressure not to bring the bill forward, but he did so anyway because he knew it was the right thing to do. Furthermore, in 1989 Armenian American advocacy was in its infancy. Modern day genocide resolutions are “sense of the House” resolutions, that have no legal binding and are not signed by the President. Back in 1989, the Armenian Genocide resolution was introduced as a “joint resolution” requiring passage in both chambers and the signature of the President. Then-Senator Joe Biden, as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, presided over the first time in the history of the U.S. Senate where an Armenian Genocide resolution was discussed and adopted.
Fast forward to Vice President Joe Biden, who seems to have taken a lot of blame for Obama’s broken campaign promise to recognize the Armenian Genocide. While that stain on Obama’s presidency remains indefinitely, it was at the end of the day President Obama’s decision, not Vice President Biden’s. Nobody knows for sure who said what in the Oval Office when Obama, Biden, Samantha Power, Susan Rice, and others were in the room. We all know the outcome but to lay that at Biden’s feet now reflects a feeble minded understanding of American politics.
Vice President Joe Biden’s present-day positions are noteworthy. He was unequivocal on his April 24, 2020 statement on the Armenian Genocide, where he used the Armenian words Medz Yeghern and was unafraid to use the English equivalent: Armenian Genocide. Furthermore, Biden released two statements on the current Azerbaijan and Turkish war crimes launched against Artsakh (formerly Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia. The first was on October 13, following the first ceasefire agreement violation by Azerbaijan. The second came on October 28 where Biden called for enforcing sanctions on Azerbaijan under Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which has been waived by every President since the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks. In the October 28 statement, Biden also acknowledged Turkey smuggling Syrian mercenaries into the conflict.
President Trump and National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien have been asked repeatedly since Azerbaijan first launched their attack on Artsakh on September 27th to enforce the sanctions regime on Azerbaijan currently U.S. law. O’Brien even recently admitted that Azerbaijan was the party uninterested in peace. Yet, the Trump Administration refuses to comment on enforcing sanctions on Azerbaijan.
The choice for President, from an American and especially through the Armenian American lens, cannot be any more clear. A vote for Trump is a vote for Aliyev and Erdogan, who will continue to get away with their crimes against humanity so long as Donald Trump is President.
As we said in an interview with The Hill newspaper, “Preserving the Armenian state is going to be paramount and right now, I think you can make the case very easily that the Armenian homeland is being threatened with another genocide. I think this is going to be the most important issue for Armenian Americans going into November.”
PALM BEACH COUNTY
CONGRESS
- FL-18: No Endorsement
- FL-20: Gregg Musslewhite (R-FL)
- FL-21 : Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL)
- FL-22: Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL)*
STATE SENATE
- SD-25: Gayle Harrell (R)
- SD-29: Brian Norton (R)
- SD-30: Bobby Powell (D)
- SD-31: Lori Berman (D)
STATE HOUSE
- HD-81: Kelly Skidmore (D)
- HD-82: Mary Lynn Magar (R)
- HD-85: Rick Roth (R)
- HD-86: Matt Whilhite (D)
- HD-87: David Silvers (D)
- HD-88: Omari Hardy (D)
- HD-89: Mike Caruso (R)
- HD-90: Joe Casello (D)
- HD-91: Emily Slosberg (D)
PALM BEACH BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
- District 1: Maria Marino (R)
- District 3: David Kerner (D)
- District 5: David Shiner (R)
- District 7: Mack Bernard (D)
SHERIFF & TAX COLLECTOR
- Ric Bradshaw (D)
- Anne Gannon (D)
CLERK & COMPTROLLER
- Joseph Abruzzo
PALM BEACH COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE GROUP 30 (NON-PARTISAN)
- Adam Myron
PORT OF PALM BEACH
- Group 1: Wayne Richards
- Group 2: Katherine Waldron
- Group 3: Jean Enright
SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION
- Group 2: Ann Marie Sorrell
- Group 3: Chad Alvarez
- Group 4: Rob Long
BROWARD COUNTY
CONGRESS
- FL-23: Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL)
- FL-24: Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL)
STATE SENATE
- SD-32: Sen. Lauren Book (D-FL)
- SD-33: Sen. Perry Thurston, Jr. (D-FL)
- SD-34: Sen. Gary Farmer, Jr. (D-FL)
STATE HOUSE
- HD-92: Patricia Hawkins-Williams (D-FL)
- HD-93: Rep. Chip LaMarca (R-FL)
- HD-94: Rep. Bobby DuBose (D-FL)
- HD-95: Rep. Anika Tene Omphroy (D-FL)
- HD-96: Christine Hunschofsky (D)
- HD-97: Rep. Dan Daley (D-FL)
- HD-98: Rep. Michael Gottlieb (D-FL)
- HD-99: Rep. Evan Jenne (D-FL)
- HD-100: Joe Geller (D)
- HD-101: Rep. Marie Woodson (D-FL)
COUNTY COMMISSION
- District 1: Nan Rich (D-FL)
- District 3: Michael Udine (D-FL)
- District 5: Steven Geller (D-FL)
- District 7: Tim Ryan (D-FL)
- District 9: Dale Holness (D-FL)
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
CONGRESS
- FL-25: Rep. Mario Diaz-Bolart (R-FL)
- FL-26: Carlos Gimenez (R)
- FL-27: Rep. Donna Shalala (D-FL)
STATE SENATE
- SD-35: Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-FL)
- SD-37: Sen. Jose Javier Fernandez (R-FL)
- SD-39: Javier Fernandez (D)
STATE HOUSE
- HD-102: Felicia Simone-Robinson (D)
- HD-103: Rep. Cindy Polo (D-FL)
- HD-104: Robin Bartleman (D)
- HD-105: Maureen Porras (D)
- HD-108: Rep. Dotie Joseph (D-FL)
- HD-110: Annette Collazo (D)
- HD-111: Rep. Bryan Avila (R-FL)
- HD-112: Rep. Nicholas Duran (D-FL)
- HD-113: Demi Busatta Cabrera (D)
- HD-115: Rep. Vance Aloupis (R-FL)
- HD-116: Rep. Daniel Perez (R-FL)
- HD-118: Rickey Junquera (D)
- HD-119: Juan Fernandez-Barquin (R)
- HD-120: Rep. James Mooney (R-FL)
COUNTY COMMISSION
- Mayor: Esteban “Steve” Bovo
- District 1: Oliver Gilbert
- District 3: Keon Hardemon
- District 5: Eileen Higgins
- District 7: Raquel Regalado
- District 9: Kionne McGhee
- District 11: Joe Martinez
- District 13: Rene Garcia
OTHER CONGRESSIONAL RACES
CONGRESS
- FL-01: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL)
- FL-02: Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL)
- FL-03: Kat Cammack (R)
- FL-04: Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL)
- FL-05: Rep. Al Lawson (D-FL)
- FL-06: Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL)
- FL-07: Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL)
- FL-08: Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL)
- FL-09: Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL)
- FL-10: Rep. Val Demings (D-FL)
- FL-11: Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL)
- FL-12: Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)**
- FL-13: Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL)*
- FL-14: Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL)
- FL-15: Scott Franklin (R)
- FL-16: Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)
- FL-17: Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL)
- FL-19: Byron Donalds (R)
*Member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues
**Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues
Florida Armenians 